More Things at All Things Liberty

This month I’ve been busy contributing to the Journal of the American Revolution. (That’s the website that published its first collection this fall, with other essays by me.) The new articles include:

“Five Myths of Tarring and Feathering”: From Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “My Kinsman, Major Molineaux” to the John Adams miniseries, scenes of Boston mobs attacking genteel officials with tar and feathers have been a staple of American popular culture. But how common were such attacks really, and how much damage did they do? This article now comes recommended by Debby Witt at National Review Online. [Insert snarky political comment of your choice here.]

“Washington’s Five Books”: This short piece grew from a section of my study for the National Park Service of George Washington’s first few months as commander-in-chief. With the help of Don Hagist and the internet, I found more details about the books the general recommended to an old Virginia colleague who had just accepted a colonel’s position. For example, when Washington recommended a particular edition of a book recently republished in Philadelphia, it turns out that edition had been dedicated to…Washington.

“An Interview with Richard C. Wiggin”: Rick Wiggin has already shared some stories from his book Embattled Farmers: Campaigns and Profiles of Revolutionary Soldiers from Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1775-1783 here as a guest blogger. This conversation goes into much more detail about the background of the book, Rick’s research, and what we can learn from the lives of one town’s Revolutionary War soldiers.

Next week, visit AllThingsLiberty.com for my responses along with those of other contributors in a week-long group interview about the burning issues of the Revolution, such as riots and time travel.